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A note from the principal . . .

FEBRUARY 2014

Main Office

303-387-1800

Fax

303-387-801

Attendance

303-387-1802

Athletics/Activities

303-387-1812

Bookkeeper

303-387-1808

Registrar

303-387-1820

Transportation

303-387-0415

Weather Hotline

303-387-7669

Twitter

follow@mountainridgems

Online Payments

dcsdk12.revetrak.net

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Here we are, entering the home stretch of this school year. Crazy! I enjoyed seeing so many of you at Student-led Conferences in February. It was a great turnout and so wonderful to see so many parents and students committed to a successful completion of the year.

The district sent out a communication last week about an increase in suicides in Douglas County and steps that the district is taking. I want to let you know what we are doing at a building-level to address all mental health concerns that we encounter. We have a mental health team of three counselors, a psychologist, and a social worker on staff. This team works very closely with grade-level teams to talk about all students, and make sure that they know about any students who might be struggling. They work with parents and community organizations in these situations to try to get as much help as possible for students who need it. We believe that fewer students fall through the cracks when we function with teams. This allows teachers, counselors, and administrators to get to know a smaller group of students and be able to recognize when a student might need additional help and support.

We recognize that as much support as we provide our students, it is never enough. We want to create a safe and nurturing environment for them while they are here. This is where our communication with families is so

http://www.ckpd.com/

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Mountain Ridge Middle School

A note from the principal . . . continued

important. We often do not know about situations that may be happening at home or social issues that may be happening under the radar at school. PLEASE do not hesitate to ever contact us and notify us of these. We want to provide complete wrap-around support for our students, but we cannot always help if we do not know that there are concerns. Please consider us a partner during these years and know that we all want to offer as much guidance and support as we possibly can.

We are here for you and your students. Please let us know if you have questions, concerns or suggestions about how we can expand our support. Thank you, for partnering with us to help the students be successful academically, socially, and emotionally.

Shannon Clarke, Principal

Table of Contents

Page 1-2 Principal Note

Page 3-4 General Annoucements

Page 5 Athletics / Activities

Page 6 Library

Page 7-10 Team 7-1

Page 11-13 Team 7-2

Page 14 Team 7-4

Page 15-16 Team 8-1

Page 17 Team 8-3

Page 18-19 Team 8-4

Page 20-25 Electives - Art

Page 26 World Language

Page 27 Schoolpool

http://www.mathnasium.com/highlandsranchhttp://yfuusa.org/host-a-student.php?utm_source=TheSchoolNewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Horizon

Mountain Ridge Middle School

General Announcements

P A G E 3

TCAP testing is coming soon!

MRMS students will be completing the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program - TCAP testing March 3 - 5. All students will test in Math, Reading and Writing.

school on these days. Please try to avoid scheduling appointments for your child and, if possible, attempt to reschedule any existing appointments. Students who miss school for any/all part of the testing day will be scheduled for make-up testing after March 5.

TCAP results for all MRMS students are an important piece in evaluating core subject area proficiency directly affect teacher planning and school wide goal setting for the upcoming school year.

Please remember to help your students be prepared for the testing days by getting plenty of sleep and eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Leaving early from school

If you know in advance that your child will be leaving early from school, please send a note with your child for the main office first thing in the morning. We will issue your student an early dismissal pass, which allows the student to leave class early and meet you at the main office at the time you designate. This helps to cut down on classroom interruptions.

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Bus passes

If your student wishes to ride a bus other than the one to which he or she is assigned, please send a note to the office with your student giving your permission to ride an alternate bus. Please include the bus number your student will be riding as well as your signature and a phone number where you can be reached.

Medications at school

The health room does not keep medications such as Tylenol, Benadryl or cold medications to dispense to students. However, students at the secondary level may carry a single dose of this type of medication in their backpacks. Please note that these medications must be over the counter and in original packaging.

Dropping off items and delivering notes to students

We realize that everyone at one time or another forgets something. Items that parents drop off at the office (forgotten homework, lunches, money, clothing, etc.) will be kept in the office for students to claim. Pease remind students that if they have forgotten something, they should check with the office staff between classes to see if their item has been dropped off. As well, please share information with your child regarding dental/doctor appointments, after school plans, and transportation plans before school. Both of these practices save us from having to interrupt a class to call students for deliver items.

Cell phone usage

sight at all times during the school day, unless they are using them in class for a teacher-directed, class-related purpose.

Reporting Absences

If your student is absent, please call the attendance line at 303-387-1802 and

(spell last name), grade, and reason for the absence. All absences must be reported to the attendance office even if notification has been made to the teacher. Absences not reported within 48 hours are recorded as unexcused absences in our attendance records.

Mountain Ridge Middle School

P A G E 4

General Announcements continued

http://www.thewildlifeexperience.org/http://www.hanleetkd.com/index.phphttp://www.drhorton.com/colorado

Mountain Ridge Middle School

Athletics / Activities

P A G E 5

The weather is getting a bit better and it feels like we should be outside with our athletics and activities. Our Hiking Club is prepping for a good spring. Please contact Mike Hill, team 8-1 Science teacher, if your student is interested in hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Our Student Council and Interact Club are going strong and planning for a dance and movie night on March 7th, Mardi Gras style. Have your student contact counselors Paula Moore and Jen Hutchings for more information about Student Council or Ellie Foust, Beth Peters, and Andrea Beckett about Interact Club. There are so many opportunities for students to get involved for the remainder of the school year. There are clubs underway, ranging from Fossil Club to iCode club, and it is never too late for students to start their own club. Please contact Zac Hess for information about these great opportunities.

8th just wrapped up a very successful season. We had almost 80 boys out for the team, which is the highest number on record! 7th

rd -breaking year and get 70 boys out to play. Track will start April 14th. Traditionally, we have between 100 and 150 students who participate. I just hope our weather will hold for comfortable meets.

Thank you, to all our parents, students, and staff who have become involved, tried something new, persevered, and built lasting relationships by participating in Mountain Ridge Middle School athletics and activities.

http://www.learningrx.com/

Mountain Ridge Middle School

Library

P A G E 6

The Mountain Ridge library is gearing up

Students from seventh and eighth grade are encouraged to join Mr. Vincelette and Mrs. Meyer as we prepare to battle other DCSD middle schools for literary

questions based on the following titles: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, by Orson Scott Card, Smile by Raina Telgemerier, The Compound by S.A. Bodine, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Bomb by Steve Sheinkin, Insurgent by Veronica Roth, and Legend by Marie Lu. Students interested in further information should stop by the library. Please remember that if you ever want to know about goings-take a look at our wiki. The quickest way to get there is to simply Google,

hardwiredforstories.wikispaces.com.

Please remember to encourage/help your students to find interesting things to read. Reading for pleasure is a learning experience.

http://www.hardwiredforstories.wikispaces.comhttp://www.salsabravacolorado.com/http://www.seekingsitters.com/

P A G E 7

Mountain Ridge Middle School

This month, Team 7-1 collaborated on many fun projects and activities. Students went on their International Towne field trip at the end of January and worked together to sustain their countries. While half of our students went to International Towne, the other half collaborated to research important information about their countries and created banners to demonstrate their learning.

Team 7 -One Wonders!

Ghana

Panorama of half of 7-1 at International Towne.

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http://www.drgaryholt.com/

Team 7 -One Wonders! continued

P A G E 8

Mountain Ridge Middle School

China

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http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/centers/80126/index.cfm?CFID=4725487&CFTOKEN=93199787

To kick off the Olympics, students worked in teams to research a winter sport and how it incorporates each content area.

students created in iLab and Social Studies. Here are some examples of what our students are passionate about.

Team 7 -One Wonders! continued

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Mountain Ridge Middle School